This terrific documentary film about competitive coin-op video game play is available in nine parts on YouTube (but for how long?). Once you start watching, you'll want to keep going.

Part 1:

Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9.

I have a vivid memory as a kid in junior high or high school being in the arcade at the MIT student center (ironically named the Space Invader for obvious reasons if you've ever seen it) and some dude was a few machines over playing Defender. He was very good, playing a long time on one quarter, really working up a sweat, very animated. He had black curly hair, a receding hair line and a big forehead, and when he'd die he'd start freaking out and punching the machine and screaming/moaning, "Oh God! Oh nooo! Oh my God no no no...!" punch punch punch. I thought, "Wow, there are some really odd people at MIT." The guys in this movie seem a lot better adjusted.